A family resemblance approach to the nature of science for science education

Although there is universal consensus both in the science education literature and in the science standards documents to the effect that students should learn not only the content of science but also its nature, there is little agreement about what that nature is. This led many science educators to adopt what is sometimes called “the consensus view” about the nature of science (NOS), whose goal is to teach students only those characteristics of science on which there is wide consensus. This is an attractive view, but it has some shortcomings and weaknesses. In this article we present and defend an alternative approach based on the notion of family resemblance. We argue that the family resemblance approach is superior to the consensus view in several ways, which we discuss in some detail

Türkiye’s transregionalism with South Asia: Geoculture-boosted multifaceted bilateralism

Transregionalism is identified with loose and less-institutional interactions functioning via both state and non-state actors. Its lesser need for multilateral and ruled-based institutions makes transregionalism naturally flexible, multifaceted, and more bilateralism-oriented. Türkiye’s enthusiasm to deepen relations with Asia, which was officially encapsulated within the Asia Anew initiative (2019), is a good example of such multifaceted transregional bilateralism. The initiative prioritized this interaction scheme by stressing the importance of inter-agency mechanisms operating via state and non-state stakeholders. Accordingly, this study argues that Türkiye’s interactions with South Asia, especially regarding state/peopleto- people relations, which merge state with non-state actors can be analyzed within the conceptual framework of transregional bilateralism. Departing from this premise, this study argues that the geocultural affinities between the South Asian and Turkish communities perform as the main “booster” of this framework.El transregionalismo se relaciona con interacciones más laxas y menos institucionales, que funcionan a través de actores tanto estatales como no estatales. Su menor necesidad de instituciones multilaterales y basadas en las normas hace que el transregionalismo sea naturalmente flexible, multifacético y más orientado al bilateralismo. El entusiasmo de Türkiye por profundizar las relaciones con Asia, que quedó oficialmente plasmado en la iniciativa Asia Anew, es un buen ejemplo de ese bilateralismo transregional multifacético. La iniciativa priorizó este esquema de interacción al enfatizar la importancia de los mecanismos interinstitucionales que operan a través de actores estatales y no estatales. En consecuencia, este estudio sostiene que las interacciones de Türkiye con el sur de Asia, especialmente en lo que respecta a las relaciones Estado/persona a persona, que fusionan actores estatales con actores no estatales, pueden analizarse dentro del marco conceptual del bilateralismo transregional. Partiendo de esta premisa, este estudio sostiene que las afinidades geoculturales entre las comunidades del sur de Asia y turca actúan como el principal “impulso” de este relacionamiento

E-Advisory Based Analysis of Student Expressions throughout the University Courses’ Registration Period on Digital Media

One other factor that determines university characteristics is the present students receiving education. Especially the feeling of content or the difficulty that students encounter during the registration period at the beginning of the term is strictly crucial for them. Internet based solutions have been offered rather than the other methods that students resorted to solve their problems at the university campus. Along with the 24 hour open automations system in which the advisor and students can communicate, advisors can be contacted through e-mail and social media accounts. The purpose of this study is to examine student opinions which they express to their advisors during the registration period. The study was conducted with the qualitative research method. The case study design was used in the study and data were collected with the criterion sampling method which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. The data were collected from the texts on the automation software, e-mails, Whatsapp, Facebook and the program website with the permission of students and advisors. The required permissions were received from Yıldız Technical University Institute of Social Sciences before conducting the study. Tacit consents were received from the individuals whose data were to be used in the study. The collected data were analyzed through the content analysis method by the two researchers. The data were also analyzed with the MAXQDA 11 software. The findings were sent to 15 participants via e-mail in order to receive participant confirmation. The themes for the study were “Elective and Unavailable Courses, Faulty-Deficient Course Selection, Courses, Fees and GPA“. According to the results, there are fewer messages where the texts can be read by everyone and a high number of similar or same problems are expressed in conversations that take place between the advisor and the students. In addition, some students, however low in number, were observed to complain about issues that have previously been offered with explanations about what to do. Thus, it was concluded that these students did not read about the shared issues. The key roles in such technology-based courses are the expressions, attitudes and behaviors of the advisor. Keywords: E-Advisory, University Registrations, Increasing University Quality, Social Media, Document Analysi

Infrastructuring Authoritarian Power: Arab-Chinese Transregional Collaboration Beyond the State

From discrimination against Chinese-read migrant workers, via intraregional competition for China’s favour, to collaboration on infrastructural megaprojects, vaccine development and digital surveillance techniques: Arab-Chinese relations in times of COVID-19 are complex and multi-layered. Yet, established regime-centric approaches often fail to see this complexity by almost exclusively focusing on questions of authoritarian regime collaboration. Such approaches not only ignore the diversity of involved actors and the inherently transregional nature of contemporary authoritarian power, but also bear the risk of reproducing binary notions of authoritarianism vs. liberal democracy that fundamentally ignore the latter’s coercive core. Recent work on the duality of infrastructure as both enabling global flows of goods and (re-)producing social hierarchies helps us overcome the methodological nationalism found in the majority of scholarship on authoritarian power. In this article, we provide a selective overview, through the prism of logistics and infrastructure, of Arab-Chinese authoritarian entanglements in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding authoritarian practices as territorially unbounded modes of governance, our objective is to develop a more in-depth and context-sensitive understanding of the transregionally connected mechanisms of (re-)producing authoritarian power. We argue that the pandemic constitutes a seemingly managerial opportunity for the intensified diffusion of authoritarian practices that both enable certain infrastructural politics and in turn are also rendered possible by them. This emphasis on infrastructure, understood as simultaneously fostering a global circulation of goods and capital, as well as reinforcing containment and facilitating new forms of managing and repressing public discontent, provides us with a helpful lens for the development of a truly transregional understanding of authoritarian collaboration. We discuss this argument based on selected examples of digital and physical infrastructure(s) in Arab-Chinese relations, and their embedding in global flows of capital.

Impact of Caesarean section on subsequent fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

STUDY QUESTION: Is there an association between a Caesarean section and subsequent fertility? SUMMARY ANSWER: Most studies report that fertility is reduced after Caesarean section compared with vaginal delivery. However, studies with a more robust design show smaller effects and it is uncertain whether the association is causal. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: A previous systematic review published in 1996 summarizing six studies including 85 728 women suggested that Caesarean section reduces subsequent fertility. The included studies suffer from severe methodological limitations. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies comparing subsequent reproductive outcomes of women who had a Caesarean section with those who delivered vaginally. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Searches of Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, CINAHL Plus and Maternity and Infant Care databases were conducted in December 2011 to identify randomized and non-randomized studies that compared the subsequent fertility outcomes after a Caesarean section and after a vaginal delivery. Eighteen cohort studies including 591 850 women matched the inclusion criteria. Risk of bias was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). Data extraction was done independently by two reviewers. The meta-analysis was based on a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess whether the estimated effect was influenced by parity, risk adjustment, maternal choice, cohort period, and study quality and size. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The impact of Caesarean section on subsequent pregnancies could be analysed in 10 studies and on subsequent births in 16 studies. A meta-analysis suggests that patients who had undergone a Caesarean section had a 9% lower subsequent pregnancy rate [risk ratio (RR) 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.87, 0.95)] and 11% lower birth rate [RR 0.89, 95% CI (0.87, 0.92)], compared with patients who had delivered vaginally. Studies that controlled for maternal age or specifically analysed primary elective Caesarean section for breech delivery, and those that were least prone to bias according to the NOS reported smaller effects. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: There is significant variation in the design and methods of included studies. Residual bias in the adjusted results is likely as no study was able to control for a number of important maternal characteristics, such as a history of infertility or maternal obesity. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Further research is needed to reduce the impact of selection bias by indication through creating more comparable patient groups and applying risk adjustment

Educational Connoisseurship and Criticism: Evaluation of a Cooperation Model between University and the Sector on Vocational Education

Vocational schools which were opened to raise intermediate staff for the sector must update their functions to fulfill the intermediate staff need emerging as a result of the developments and changes in the sector through the time. Considering the needs of the sector, updating content of the courses and opening new lessons or programs will fulfill the need. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the flight simulators lesson aiming to fulfil the intermediate staff need in the field of flight simulators according to educational criticism model. Qualitative techniques were employed to obtain data within the scope of this study.  The study was designed according to case study method. In-depth and focus group interviews were conducted with the participants by using semi-structured interview forms and the findings were obtained through content analysis. The study group consisted of students, instructors and the head of the program. As a result of the study, it is found that participants were satisfied with the course, the staff need of the sector was fulfilled, the learners had sector knowledge, and the aim of the teaching process included practice opportunity in the sector. Besides, highlighting the co-operation between the sector and the university and keeping educational programs up-to-date was another expectation. Keywords: Educational connoisseurship and criticism, Program evaluation, Vocational education, Vocational schools, Cooperation mode